Some of the main talking points following Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat against Gateshead at the Gateshead International Stadium in pre-season.Sunderland were beaten 2-1 by Gateshead in a pre-season friendly – with several talking points after the match.
Regis Le Bris’ squad was split into two teams, with another side playing against South Shields earlier in the day. Against Gateshead, Sunderland fell a goal down in the 19th minute when Owen Oseni opened the scoring for the hosts. Jack Clarke then equalised from the penalty spot, after Nazariy Rusyn was fouled, before Oseni added a second just before the interval.
Sunderland made several changes in the 73rd minute when members of their under-21s squad were introduced. Here are some of the main talking points from the match.
Senior players absent
The two fixtures against South Shields and Gateshead allowed Le Bris to hand minutes to most of his senior players, including many who have returned from injury setbacks in recent months.
The only first-team players who didn’t feature in either match were Abdoullah Ba and Nectarios Triantis, who are set to be sidelined for a few weeks with injury setbacks, along with goalkeeper Simon Moore who has picked up a knock.
Other players return to action
Several Sunderland players missed the end of the last campaign due to injuries but returned to full training ahead for pre-season. Dennis Cirkin slotted back in at left-back and made a few forays forward on the flank, with Nazariy Rusyn available again up front following a calf issue. Jay Matete and Elliot Embleton also started in midfield after multiple setbacks over the last year.
